The present invention relates to methods, apparatus, and a system for eggshell membrane separation and a purified form of egg shell membranes produced by the separation method. The present invention addresses a number of different problems, some of which may seem unrelated without having the benefit of this disclosure. The problems include, but are not limited to, the costs associated with landfill disposal of egg shell membranes, the need for elemental calcium for various uses, and the need for collagen and other materials naturally present in egg shell membranes. Some of these problems are discussed in U.S. Pub No. 2003/0209617A1 to MacNeil, U.S. Pat. No. 6,649,203B1 to Thoroski, U.S. Pub No. 2004/0166213A1 to Thoroski, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,454B1 to Abdul Malak et al, all of which are incorporated by reference herein, each in its entirety.
In the U.S., there has been increased consumption of eggs during the 1990s. In 1997, over 5,000 tons of eggshell membranes have been available on the U.S. market. A related problem to the processing necessary to support this magnitude of egg processing is the cost for landfill disposal of eggshell membranes. This waste material created additional problems as it is further observed that this type of hatchery waste material is considered to be odiferous.
Eggshell powder is used in the food industry, including animal and human nutritional supplements. Eggshells provide approximately 36-37 percent elemental calcium in addition to traces of phosphorous and other trace elements. Thus, for example, 500 mg of dried powdered eggshell provides approximately 180 mg elemental calcium. This compared vary favorably to other calcium salts. For example, calcium carbonate provides 40 percent elemental calcium, calcium citrate provides 21 percent elemental calcium, calcium lactate provides 13 percent elemental calcium, calcium gluconate provides 9 percent elemental calcium, dicalcium phosphate provides 23 percent elemental calcium (and 19 percent phosphorus), and bone meal provides 20 percent elemental calcium (and 17 percent phosphorus). A single large eggshell has a mass of approximately 6 g and provides approximately 2200 mg of calcium.
In addition to potential uses of the egg shell, the egg shell membrane is known for being rich in a number of different materials, including, without limitation collagen, hyaluronic acid, lysine, histidine, arginine, threonine, glutamic acid, proline, glysine, cysteine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. Some of these materials are well known as high value materials, yet due to various problems, these materials go to waste. For example, consider that approximately 10 percent of an eggshell membrane is collagen type I, V, and X. Over 300 tons of collagen is theoretically available. Collagen has a number of biomedical uses, wound dressing, including in skin grafts, tissue replacement products, plastic surgery, angioplasty sleeves, cornea repair, cornea implants, prosthetic implants, and other applications. Collagen is also used in the cosmetic industry.
Collagen constitutes about 20 to 30 percent of the total body protein in vertebrates. It is a fibrous protein and functions primarily as a supporting tissue and scaffolding for other proteins and cells. It is present throughout the body but exists in high concentrations in skin, tendon, and bone. Collagen is recovered from these tissues by a variety of techniques the oldest known method being the boiling of the tissue in water which denatures some of the collagen and forms the well-known gelatin upon cooling. For use as a biomaterial, however, collagen must be recovered in native, undenatured form, with little or no destruction of the basic rigid triple helical structure (tropocollagen).
Undenatured native collagen is recovered principally by two methods. The first method is in solution by dissolving the collagen in acids, bases, salts, or by enzyme digestion in which case the collage becomes actually dissolved. The second method involves extraction in solid, undissolved, fiber form usually by the action of aqueous salt on minced, comminuted collagen raw material to produce a dispersion from which the solid is recovered by centrifuge.
Hyaluronic acid is another example of a high value material which is naturally present in and a constituent of egg shell membranes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,946,551 to Long et al. generally discloses deriving hyaluronic acid from eggshell membranes. Hyaluronic acid can be used in various applications including cosmetics, eye drops, nutraceuticals, and various other medical applications.
Thus, it is clear that it would be highly advantageous if collagen, hyaluronic acid or other materials could be commercially extracted from egg shell membranes. Despite the general recognition of the tremendous potential value of egg shell membranes when its constituents are extracted, little has been done to realize this value. Thus hatchery waste continues to included unseparated egg shells which is still being sent to land fills. The present inventor has recognized and discovered numerous problems that prevent the use of egg shell membranes. Including problems which prevent hatcheries from separating egg shell membranes in a useable form. The present invention has also recognized specific problems in the context commercial context which provide additional challenges not present in a laboratory environment and heretofore unappreciated.
One of the problems relates to environmental and sanitary conditions associated with a hatchery. Present day production processes were not designed with the idea of separating egg shell membranes from egg shells and then extracting egg shell membranes. Present day hatcheries are likely to have bacteria in sufficient amounts to contaminate eggshell membranes during the process of separation.
Another problem relates to the need for a production process for egg shell membrane separation which is continuous. In the hatchery environment, hatchery waste is being continuously produced, and therefore it would be highly desirable for egg shell membranes to be separated from egg shells continuously as well. To not do so, would create significant problems in that either hatchery operation would be slowed, not all hatchery waste would be processed, hatchery waste would need to be processed when other hatchery operations were offline, or similar problems which would be unacceptable in the hatchery environment.
Therefore it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to improve upon the state of the art.
It is a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to reduce waste used in egg processing.
Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to produce egg shell powder from what would otherwise be egg processing waste material.
Yet another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to produce high value produces such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, or other types of polypeptides from what would otherwise be egg processing waste material.
A still further object of the present invention is to produce new revenue streams for hatcheries and egg producers.
Yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a method for separating egg shell membranes from egg shells.
A still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a method that reduces pathogens and contaminants in powderized egg shells and eggshell membranes.
Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for reducing odor associated with egg processing and egg waste.
A further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for continuous processing of egg shells.
Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for automated processing of egg shells.
Yet another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for methods, apparatus, and systems for processing egg shells that are scaleable.
A further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for methods, apparatus, and systems for processing egg shells that are cost effective.
A yet further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for a systems for processing egg shells that is portable.
A still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for methods, apparatus, and systems for processing egg shells that does not damage collagen, hyaluronic acid or other materials to be extracted.
A still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for a method of processing egg shells which allows extraction processes to be performed on egg shell membranes at locations remote from egg hatcheries.
One or more of these and/or other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims that follow.